Grass-crimping machine.



, Patented Mar.15,1910.

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K. WESSEL. GRASS GRIMPING MACHINE.

l APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1908.

manned Mar. 15,1910.'

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K. WESSEL. GRASS CRIMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1908,

l Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

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, :SSM Jy %5 bof/1745s entran sT-Aras rxirnnr creeren KARL wssL, or sfr. AL, MINNESOTA.

etAss-CRIMPING MACHN'.

Spec'eaton of Letters Patent. Patented lila-1'. '15, 1910.

Appication led May 15, 1908. Serial No. 433,025.

-tion of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in` the art to which it appertains vto make and usethe same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simpliied and improved grass crimping or curling machine, especially adapted for use to treat marsh 'grass in the preparation thereof yfor use as a filler for mattresses, cushions, etc.; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view with some parts broken away and some parts removed, showing the improved machine. Fig'. 2 is a side elevation of the `table has a depression 4 and is provided with an up-turned edge 5` said machine; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectio taken on the line :as me of Fig. 1.

The frame-work of the machine is made up of a pair of heavy laterally-spaced pedestal castings 1, spaced a vart and tied together by a heavy rod 2 and y a feed table 3, which near its delivery end at its extreme .deliver end. The other portion of the table 3 isprovided with sideboards 6 suitably secured thereto and. to .the pedestal castings 1, and, as shown, having a transverse tie bar 7 at their inner extremities,

- which tie bar'is located considerably above Vof the grass under the same.

the said table so as to permit the free feed Located adjacent to the u -turned delivery end 5 of the said feed table is a pair of large, heavyl and deeply corrugated inter-meshing crimpinur rollers 8 and 9 that extend transversely o? the machine.` These rollers are preferably made hollow so that' steam may duced thereinto to keep them hot and thereby increase their crimping efficiency. Both are provided with heavy hollow trnnions 8*l and 9*, respectively, which make introduction of'steam into said rollerswhile they are kept under rotation. The trunnions 8? of the crimping roller 8 are mountedui be intro-` Indef thetie rod 24 d '-gag l y a spur Ipinion I ca rrie 'counter-shaft 25 mounted. .1n suitable bearpossible the fixed bearings on the pedestal castings 1 and one of the trunnions thereof is providedwith a relatively large spur gear 10 and relae tively small spur gear 11. The trunnions 9 of the upper roller 9 are journaled in bearing boxes l2-that are mounted to slide vertically in the pedestal castings 1 and are arranged to be adjusted by screws 13 that work with threaded enga ement through suitable bear. ings 14: secure to the tops of said pedestal castings. At their upper ends the adjusting screws 13 are provided with hand wheels 15, by meansv of which they may be moved.

Located just over the depressed .portion` e of the table 3 is a pair of transversel extended rollers ldmounted in suitable earings on the pedestal castings 1 and. provided with pro'ect-ing pickingteeth'or spikes '17 that pre erably projectv approximately tangentially therefrom and are turned backward 'in respectto the direction of rotation ofthe said rollers. Also mounted in suitable bearings afforded by the pedestal castings 1 is a smooth or toothle'ss roller 18, the shaft of which is provided, at one end, with a spur gear 19. 4The gear 19 meshes with similar gears but thesaid two gears 2O are spaced apart so that they do not-intermesh with each other.

' The roller 18 is located below the two rollers 16, half-way between the same, and the depressed portion ll of the feed table is out away to afford clearance for the said roller 18. .This roller 18,is arranged to fill, as nearly as possible, the space above the inter.- mediate Aportion of the depressed table section 4, through which the teeth of'the two rollers 16 do not travel, but the said roller must not, of course, 4reject intothe imaginary cylindersdescrib'ed by the points of the teeth17.

2O on the shafts of the rollers 16,"

The gear 11 which is carried by the lower crimping roller 8 meshes with a similar giel' 21 which is carried by the projecting s ft of the rearmost or right hand roller 16, so that motion will be transmittedfrom. said roller 8 lrst to the said rear roller 16, thence 4to the roller 18, and from thence to the other roller 16. The large ear 10. which is carried by the lower ro ler' 8.meshes with a s ur p1nioi122 that-'s secured to the hub of the spur gear 23, suitably journaled on one 2. 'The gear 23 is 'enby.- a

l on the pedestal castingslvand provided The' grass to be crimped is fed,

with a pulley 26, over which a power-driven belt (not shown) will run to transmit power to the machine.

preferably by hand, and as nearly endwiseas possible, into engagement with the first toothed roller 16; and, by this rst toothed roller, it will be fed onward to the second, and by the latter it ivill be fed between the corrugated rollers 8 and 9 and will be crimped or curled in passing between the said corrugated roll. ers. The toothed rollers have a combing action on the grass, which tends to straighten it out and feed it endwise between the crimping rollers. The driven .roller 18 as sists in feeding the grass to the rollers and holds the grass up so that it will be engaged by the teeth of the rollers 16. This roller .18 is, therefore, important.

It is, of course, evident that any desired pressure can be put upon the grass in passing between the corrugated rollers 8 and 9 simply by adjusting the upper roller by means of the screws 13.

The machine, while extremely simple, is efficient for the purposes had in View.

What I claim is: l

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a pair of crimping rollers,

of a eed'table ofor directing the grass thereto, a pair of .toothed rollers working from said table immediately 1n front of saidA combination with a pair of interlacing c'orrugated crimping rollers, of a feed table for directing the grass blades to said crimping rollers, provided with a depression immediately in front of said crimping rollers, a pair of toothed rollers Working immediately over the compressed portion of said table, a. loose roller projecting through the depressed portion of said table, midway between said toothed rollers with its upper surfaces above the lowermost lines of travel of the teeth of said toothed rollers, the teeth of' said rollers being inclined backward in respect to their direction of rotation and arranged to move on vintersecting arcs, and means for driving said toothed rollers in the same direction, substantially las described.

In testimony whereof l aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KARL WESSEL. Witnesses: A

HARRY D. Kanone,

t MALIE Horn.. 

